By Terry Smith, owner of Legacy Plumbing ServicesBy Terry Smith, owner of Legacy Plumbing Services

In last month’s issue of Plumbing Africa, we talked about how hiring an apprentice is not for the faint hearted and discussed who the stakeholders are in within the Apprenticeship Ecosystem. Also listed was ‘Role and Responsibilities of a Host Employer’ (Part 1).

This month, I would like to provide some tips to Host Employers on how to help an Apprentice apply their knowledge in the working environment.

Important too, is knowing that you will be interacting with learner plumbers who are at different stages of their education. For instance, a learner plumber who has only four months of theory will have little practical experience under his belt. You need to be aware of this in order to set tasks for your apprentice that are within his or her reach. But also set tasks that push your apprentice to think, and which test his or her knowledge and skills.

Going into the apprenticeship, a learner plumber needs to distinguish where your role as host company differs from a training provider.

{os-gal-38} Photos by Legacy Plumbing

Let’s take a look at the following scenario…

The Training Provider (Plumbing College) is responsible for teaching theory as well as some basic practical knowledge. By way of example, let us look at the process of installing a toilet:

A learner plumber will be taught the theory, thereby gaining ‘book knowledge’ on the how to install a toilet, such as the height and angle of the supply and waste pipes. He will learn about different toilet systems, such as close couple, low level, and so on. They will then do practical work and install the toilet under the guidance of a training facilitator.

“Also set tasks that push your apprentice to think, and which test his or her knowledge and skills.”

When it comes to this ‘knowledge being applied’ as an apprentice at a plumbing company, the learning curve is different. Using the same example of installing a toilet, an onsite working environment will have several variables, most importantly that each site will be unique. Let’s take a look at some examples:

  • If you are on a building site with builders, electricians, tilers, and so forth, an apprentice would learn about the relevance of project management and communication. They would learn which plumbing work needs to be done before tiling commences and which work is done after the tiling is done.
  • You might have an emergency call to a client’s home to replace a broken toilet. An apprentice would then need to understand how to work neatly and to ensure that when you are breaking out the old toilet, that he or she is careful not to damage surrounding wall and floor tiles. It is about learning to work in a tidy manner and have a bucket and cloth with you. You may think that this is ‘common sense’ however, these are learnt behaviours that can only occur through exposure to working in someone’s home.
  • The on-site learning will help an apprentice understand how to problem-solve, a critical skill for a professional plumber. For instance, if the toilet outlet pipe in the bathroom was originally installed too high (that is, not within standard plumbing guidelines) you may have to implement a work-around solution. And in this case, consideration would be given to the guidelines for this to be done in the best manner, which is still compliant with local municipal bylaws or SANS Industry Codes.
  • Your apprentice will also start to see the types of fittings which you have used on certain installations and for different scenarios. So too, they will learn about all the tools which you have, and how having the correct tools and equipment can make each job that much easier.
  • The type of toilet and flushing mechanism will be new for your apprentice. Each time he learns to install a different brand of toilet, he is gaining more experience. If you can send your apprentice on training programmes that some of the manufacturers or importers offer, then this can only add to their learning experience.
  • Putting in a toilet not only needs to be within compliance requirements, but also needs to be installed logically and practically, such as not to block the bathroom door from opening!
  • A client will want their bathroom to be aesthetically pleasing by not having unsightly pipes showing everywhere. Just listening to a discussion on installation options between a plumber and their client, is an important learning curve in good communication. An apprentice will also learn ‘soft skills’ such as how to allay a clients’ concerns or fears about the plumbing work being done on their property.

From the above points, you can see the intricacies of apprenticeships and the different ways of learning that all contribute holistically towards a learner plumbers’ growth path. Learning can be through active participation and other times information is assimilated passively by the learner plumber. Either way, no learnings during an apprenticeship should ever go to waste!

See Part 3 of the Apprenticeship Process in the May issue of Plumbing Africa!

About the author:

Terry Smith is owner of Legacy Plumbing Services, registered with PIRB, and a member of IOPSA.
Terry can be reached on 071 836 7750, or email: terry@legacyplumbing.co.za

Click here for the latest issue of Plumbing Africa